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A terrarium favorite.
In this side view of the flower, note the spur projecting to the left from the base of the corolla (flower tube) past the upper lobe of the calyx. This is one of the features that distinguishes Sinningia pusilla from the other two miniature species, S. concinna and (especially) S. sp. "Rio das Pedras".
A comparison table shows that and more differences.
This plant I inherited from the late Fred Stryker of San Jose, California, a great grower of the miniature sinningia species.
The plant forms a rosette with very short internodes and flowerstalks arising from the leaf axils. The leaves are spearpoint-shaped when young and heart-shaped when mature. The veins are slightly indented on the upper surface of the leaf. This combination of leaf features also helps to distinguish this species from the other two miniatures, especially when not in bloom.
Sinningia 'White Sprite' is a white-flowered form of S. pusilla.
| Plant Description |
|
| Growth | Indeterminate |
| Habit | Miniature rosette |
| Leaves | Green. Fuzzy. |
| Dormancy | Usually not dormant. Reseeds easily. |
Flowering |
|
| Inflorescence | Flowers in leaf axils |
| Season | Intermittent blooming |
| Flower | Purple/white, tubular |
Horticultural aspects |
|
| Hardiness | Probably not hardy |
Botany |
|
| Taxonomic group | The aghensis group of the Corytholoma clade. |
See Ron Myhr's Gesneriad Reference Web for a picture.
The Gesneriad Society web site has a picture of a plant grown by Dale Martens.
Sinningia pusilla was first published (as Tapina pusilla) in 1829 by Carl Friedrich Phillip von Martius (1794-1868). It was published as a sinningia in 1888 by Henri Ernest Baillon (1827-1895).
Etymology: Latin pusilla ("small", usually in a pejorative sense, cf. English "pusillanimous"). Ultimately from same Indo-European root (pau) as English words few, poor.